Group iii nitride semiconductor device with first and second conductive layers

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device is provided with, a group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure that includes a heterojunction, an insulating layer which has a gate opening that reaches the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure and which is disposed on the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure, a gate insulating film that covers the bottom and the side of the gate opening, a gate electrode defined on the gate insulating film inside the gate opening, a source electrode and a drain electrode which are disposed to be spaced apart from the gate electrode so as to sandwich the gate electrode, a first conductive layer embedded in the insulating layer between the gate electrode and the drain electrode, and a second conductive layer that is embedded in the insulating layer above the first conductive layer in a region closer to the drain electrode side than the first conductive layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to Japanese Patent Application No.2017-213022 filed with Japan Patent Office on Nov. 2, 2017, and JapanesePatent Application No. 2018-201619 filed with the Japan Patent Office onOct. 26, 2018, which are herein incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to semiconductor devices having a highelectron mobility transistor (HEMT).

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, it is known that the HEMT having the metal insulatorsemiconductor (MIS) structure has a gate field plate that is definedintegrally with a gate electrode in order to alleviate the concentrationof an electric field on an end of the gate electrode. On the other hand,as another technique for alleviating the electric field concentration,it is proposed to define a source field plate on a side of the gateelectrode, the source field plate being electrically connected to thesource electrode.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a semiconductordevice which is capable of alleviating, as compared with a conventionaltechnique, the concentration of an electric field on each end of a gateelectrode and a conductive layer (source field plate). A semiconductordevice according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention isprovided with, a group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure thatincludes a heterojunction, an insulating layer which has a gate openingthat reaches the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure andwhich is disposed on the group-III nitride semiconductor layeredstructure, a gate insulating film that covers the bottom and the side ofthe gate opening, a gate electrode defined on the gate insulating filminside the gate opening, a source electrode and a drain electrode whichare disposed to be spaced apart from the gate electrode such that thesource electrode and the drain electrode sandwich the gate electrode andeach of which are electrically connected to the group-III nitridesemiconductor layered structure, a first conductive layer embedded inthe insulating layer between the gate electrode and the drain electrodeand electrically connected to the source electrode, and a secondconductive layer that is embedded in the insulating layer above thefirst conductive layer in a region closer to the drain electrode sidethan the first conductive layer and electrically connected to the sourceelectrode.

According to this arrangement, the second conductive layer electricallyconnected to the source electrode is embedded in the insulating layer ina region closer to the drain electrode side than the first conductivelayer. That is, the second conductive layer does not overlap the upperregion of the gate electrode but is disposed below the top of the gateelectrode on the side of the gate electrode. This makes it possible toalleviate the strength of electric field concentration between the gateand the drain. As a result, it is possible to provide a semiconductordevice which is capable of improving the withstand voltage and theleakage property.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may be adapted such that the second conductive layermay have an end toward the gate electrode side that opposes the firstconductive layer with part of the insulating layer sandwiched betweenthe end and the first conductive layer in the thickness direction of theinsulating layer.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may further include a third conductive layer which isdisposed above the insulating layer in a region closer to the drainelectrode side than the second conductive layer and electricallyconnected to the source electrode.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may further include a third conductive layer which isembedded in the insulating layer above the second conductive layer in aregion closer to the drain electrode side than the second conductivelayer and electrically connected to the source electrode.

Providing the third conductive layer makes it possible to furtheralleviate the strength of electric field concentration between the gateand the drain.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may be adapted such that the third conductive layermay have an end toward the gate electrode side which opposes the secondconductive layer with part of the insulating layer sandwiched betweenthe end and the second conductive layer in the thickness direction ofthe insulating layer.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may be adapted such that the insulating layerimmediately below the third conductive layer may have a thickness of 150nm to 250 nm.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may be adapted such that the gate electrode mayinclude an overlap portion which is defined above the insulating layersuch that the overlap portion opposes the end of the first conductivelayer toward the gate electrode side with part of the insulating layersandwiched between the overlap portion and the end of the firstconductive layer in the thickness direction of the insulating layer.

According to this arrangement, this makes it possible to reduce thecapacitance (the gate-drain capacitance Cgd) between the two-dimensionalelectron gas electrically connected to the drain electrode and the gateelectrode. As a result, since the parasitic capacitance of thesemiconductor device is reduced, the high-speed switching operation andthe high-frequency operation, etc., that are the features of the nitridesemiconductor device can be excellently utilized.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may be adapted such that the insulating layer mayinclude a first insulating layer supporting the first conductive layer,a second insulating layer covering the first conductive layer andsupporting the second conductive layer, and a third insulating layercovering the second conductive layer. The first insulating layer may beformed of a SiN layer.

According to this arrangement, this makes it possible to reduce thestrength of an electric field applied on the end of the first conductivelayer toward the drain electrode side when compared with the case wherea SiO₂ layer is employed as the first insulating layer.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may be adapted such that the SiN layer may have athickness of 30 nm to 80 nm.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may be adapted such that a two-dimensional electrongas defined in the heterojunction of the group-III nitride semiconductorlayered structure may have a concentration of 0.5×10¹³ cm⁻² to 1.0×10¹³cm⁻².

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may further include an insulating side wall which isdisposed between the gate insulating film and the side of the gateopening.

According to this arrangement, this makes it possible to control thedistance between the gate electrode and the first conductive layer bythe thickness of the side wall. It is thus possible to design thethickness of the gate insulating film mainly according to the intendedgate threshold voltage.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may be adapted such that the side wall may include atleast one type of material selected from the group consisting of SiO₂,SiN, and SiON.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may be adapted such that the distance L_(GF1) betweenthe gate electrode and the first conductive layer may be 1 μm or less.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may be adapted such that the gate insulating film mayinclude at least one type of material selected from the group consistingof Si, Al and Hf as a component element.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may be adapted such that the gate electrode mayinclude a metal electrode.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may be adapted such that the group-III nitridesemiconductor layered structure includes an active region which includesan element structure arranged by sandwiching the gate electrode betweenthe source electrode and the drain electrode, and a nonactive regionoutside the active region, the source electrode, the first conductivelayer, and the second conductive layer each include an extension to thenonactive region, and the extension of the source electrode is connectedto the extensions of the first conductive layer and the secondconductive layer.

According to this arrangement, this eliminates the need for providingthe active region with a conductive structure that is electricallyconnected to, respectively, the source electrode and each conductivelayer over the gate electrode as a structure to electrically connect thesource electrode to the first conductive layer and the second conductivelayer. Such a conductive structure provided in the active region maycause an increase in the parasitic capacitance of the semiconductordevice. However, as described above, connecting between the sourceelectrode and each conductive layer in the nonactive region can preventan increase in parasitic capacitance.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may be adapted such that the group-III nitridesemiconductor layered structure may include a first semiconductor layerand a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer thatdefine the heterojunction, and the second semiconductor layer mayinclude an oxide film selectively defined by oxidizing the secondsemiconductor layer on the bottom of the gate opening.

According to this arrangement, this makes it possible to reduce thetwo-dimensional electron gas immediately below the gate electrode andthus, achieve a normally OFF type HEMT.

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may be adapted such that the group-III nitridesemiconductor layered structure may include a first semiconductor layerand a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer thatdefine the heterojunction, and the second semiconductor layer may beselectively etched only on the bottom of the gate opening.

According to this arrangement, this prevents the formation of theheterojunction immediately below the gate electrode by the recessstructure provided by etching. In this manner, the normally OFF typeHEMT can be achieved because no two-dimensional electron gas is definedin the region immediately below the gate electrode when no gate bias isapplied (at the time of zero bias).

A semiconductor device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention may further include a floating conductive layer whichis embedded in the insulating layer between the gate electrode and thesource electrode, the floating conductive layer being insulated from thegate electrode by the gate insulating film and also insulated from thesource electrode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a schematic plan view illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating thesemiconductor device.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view illustrating the main portion of thesemiconductor device in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4A to FIG. 4R are views illustrating part of a manufacturingprocess of the semiconductor device.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the relationship between the number of fieldplates and a breakdown voltage.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductordevice according to another preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductordevice according to another preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductordevice according to another preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductordevice according to another preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Now, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed in more detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are schematic plan views illustrating asemiconductor device 1 according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention. For the sake of clarity, FIG. 1A and FIG. 1Billustrate the shape of a first source field plate 8 as a typicalexample among the first source field plate 8, a second source fieldplate 59, and a third source field plate 60, which are to be discussedlater. Furthermore, FIG. 1A illustrates the first source field plate 8and a floating plate 9 as a hatched region, while FIG. 1B illustrates adrain electrode 3 and a source electrode 5 as a hatched region.Furthermore, FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B illustrate a gate electrode 4 as aregion indicated by an alternate long and short dashed line. FIG. 1A andFIG. 1B are the same except that different regions are hatched.

In a group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure 2 serving as abase, the semiconductor device 1 has the drain electrode 3, the gateelectrode 4, the source electrode 5, and a plate film 6. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the drain electrode 3 (D), the gateelectrode 4 (G), and the source electrode 5 (S) are disposed cyclicallyin the order of DGSGD. This defines an element structure 7 in which thedrain electrode 3 and the source electrode 5 sandwich the gate electrode4. The plate film 6 is disposed between the gate and the source andbetween the drain and the gate, respectively. The first source fieldplate 8 serving as an example of the first conductive layer of thepresent invention is disposed between the drain and the gate, while thefloating plate 9 serving as an example of the floating conductive layerof the present invention is disposed between the gate and the source.

On the surface of the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure2, it is possible to define an active region 10 that includes theelement structure 7 and a nonactive region 11 other than the activeregion 10. As illustrated in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the nonactive region11 may only have to be adjacent to the active region 10 or may alsosurround the active region 10.

The source electrode 5 includes a base 12 serving as an example of anextension of the present invention on the nonactive region 11 and aplurality of electrodes 13 integrally connected to the base 12. Thesource electrode 5 of this preferred embodiment has a comb-tooth shapein which the plurality of electrodes 13 extend in parallel to each otherin a striped shape. The base 12 has a connection end 14 for theelectrodes 13 within the nonactive region 11. The plurality ofelectrodes 13 extend from the connection end 14 toward the active region10. That is, the plurality of electrodes 13 are disposed across theactive region 10 and the nonactive region 11.

A space 15 between the adjacent electrodes 13 is a region in which thedrain electrode 3 is disposed. In this preferred embodiment, the drainelectrode 3 that is linear in shape is disposed in each space 15,thereby allowing two comb-tooth-shaped source electrode 5 and drainelectrode 3 to engage with each other. Note that although notillustrated, like the source electrode 5, the drain electrode 3 may alsoinclude a base on the nonactive region 11 and a plurality of electrodes(portions disposed in the space 15) integrally connected to the base.

The gate electrode 4 includes a base 16 on the nonactive region 11 and aplurality of electrodes 17 integrally connected to the base 16. The gateelectrode 4 of this preferred embodiment has a comb-tooth shape in whichthe plurality of electrodes 17 extend in parallel to each other in astriped shape. The base 16 has connection ends 18 for the electrodes 17within the nonactive region 11. The connection end 18 is providedoutside the connection end 14 of the source electrode 5 (relativelydistant from the active region 10) with respect to the boundary (anelement separation line 19) between the active region 10 and thenonactive region 11. The plurality of electrodes 17 extend from theconnection end 18 toward the active region 10. That is, the plurality ofelectrodes 17 are disposed across the active region 10 and the nonactiveregion 11. Furthermore, the base 16 of the gate electrode 4 includes alead portion 20 outside the base 12 of the source electrode 5. Forexample, the lead portion 20 is a region for forming a contact to thegate electrode 4.

The first source field plate 8 includes a base 21 serving as an exampleof an extension of the present invention on the nonactive region 11 anda plurality of electrodes 54 integrally connected to the base 21. Thefirst source field plate 8 of this preferred embodiment has the shape ofan arch that allows a pair of electrodes 54 to extend from both ends ofthe base 21. The base 21 has a connection end 22 for the electrodes 54within the nonactive region 11. The connection end 22 is providedgenerally at the same position as that of the connection end 14 of thesource electrode 5 with respect to the element separation line 19. Thepair of electrodes 54 extend from the connection end 22 toward theactive region 10. That is, the pair of electrodes 54 are disposed acrossthe active region 10 and the nonactive region 11.

The base 12 of the source electrode 5 and the base 21 of the firstsource field plate 8 partially overlap within the nonactive region 11.At this overlap portion, the source electrode 5 and the first sourcefield plate 8 are connected together through a source contact 23. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the source contact 23 isprovided at a position opposing the space 15 (a position at which theextension of the electrodes 13 is avoided).

Providing the source contact 23 in the nonactive region 11 in thismanner will eliminate the need for providing the active region 10 with aconductive structure that is electrically connected to, respectively,the source electrode 5 and the first source field plate 8 over the gateelectrode 4 as a structure to electrically connect the source electrode5 and the first source field plate 8. Such a conductive structureprovided in the active region 10 may cause an increase in the parasiticcapacitance of the semiconductor device 1. However, as described above,connecting between the source electrode 5 and the first source fieldplate 8 in the nonactive region 11 can prevent an increase in parasiticcapacitance.

The floating plate 9 includes a base 51 on the nonactive region 11 and aplurality of electrodes 55 integrally connected to the base 51. Thefloating plate 9 of this preferred embodiment has the shape of an archthat allows a pair of electrodes 55 to extend from both ends of the base51. The base 51 has a connection end 52 for the electrodes 55 within thenonactive region 11. The connection end 52 is provided generally at thesame position as that of the connection end 14 of the source electrode 5with respect to the element separation line 19. The pair of theelectrodes 55 extend from the connection end 52 toward the active region10. That is, the pair of the electrodes 55 are disposed across theactive region 10 and the nonactive region 11.

Note that FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B illustrated only the connection modebetween the first source field plate 8 and the source electrode 5.However, the second source field plate 59 and the third source fieldplate 60 to be discussed later are, like the first source field plate 8,also connected to the source electrode 5. For example, the second sourcefield plate 59 and the third source field plate 60 may also be definedin the shape of an arch that is similar to the first source field plate8 and contacted in the nonactive region 11 to the source electrode 5 ata position different from that of the source contact 23.

Now, referring mainly to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the cross-sectionalstructure of the semiconductor device 1 will be described.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating thesemiconductor device 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the main portionof the semiconductor device 1 in FIG. 2. Note that FIG. 2 is a schematicview not for illustrating a cross section at a particular position ofFIG. 1 but only for facilitating the understanding of a preferredembodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, for the sake ofclarity, in FIG. 2, only the electrical conductor among the componentsof the semiconductor device 1 is hatched and only the required referencesymbols are shown.

The group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure 2 includes anelectron traveling layer 24 serving as an example of a firstsemiconductor layer of the present invention and an electron supplylayer 25 serving as an example of a second semiconductor layer of thepresent invention on the electron traveling layer 24. The electrontraveling layer 24 and the electron supply layer 25 are formed ofgroup-III nitride semiconductors having mutually different Alcompositions. For example, the electron traveling layer 24 may be formedof a GaN layer at a thickness of 0.1 μm to 3 μm. For example, theelectron supply layer 25 may be formed of an AIN layer at a thickness of1 nm to 7 nm. Note that the electron traveling layer 24 and the electronsupply layer 25 are not limited to a particular composition but may beformed of an Al_(x)Ga_(1-x)N layer (0≤x≤1) and Al_(y)Ga_(1-y)N layer(0≤y≤1), respectively, so long as the composition is capable of defininga heterojunction to generate a two-dimensional electron gas.

As described above, the electron traveling layer 24 and the electronsupply layer 25 are formed of nitride semiconductors having mutuallydifferent Al compositions, with a lattice mismatch occurring between theelectron traveling layer 24 and the electron supply layer 25. Then, dueto a polarization caused by this lattice mismatch, a two-dimensionalelectron gas 26 caused by the polarization is spread at a position nearthe interface between the electron traveling layer 24 and the electronsupply layer 25 (e.g., at a distance of about several angstroms from theinterface). The concentration of the two-dimensional electron gas 26 maybe, e.g., 0.5×10¹³ cm⁻² to 1.0×10¹³ cm⁻².

On the electron supply layer 25, an oxide film 27 is selectively definedso as to extend from the surface thereof to the electron traveling layer24. The oxide film 27 has a thickness generally equal to that of theelectron supply layer 25. For example, the oxide film 27 is a thermaloxide film or an oxide film that was defined without damage to theinterface with the electron traveling layer 24. When the electron supplylayer 25 is an AlN layer, then the oxide film 27 may be formed of anAlON film.

Note that the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure 2 may bedeposited on a substrate such as a silicon substrate with a buffer layersandwiched between the structure 2 and the substrate.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the semiconductor device 1 further includes anunderlayer film 28, a passivation film 29 serving as an example of aninsulating layer of the present invention, and an interlayer insulatingfilm 30, which are defined on or above the group-III nitridesemiconductor layered structure 2.

The underlayer film 28 is defined on the entire surface of the group-IIInitride semiconductor layered structure 2 that includes the area inwhich the drain electrode 3 and the source electrode 5 are defined. Forexample, the underlayer film 28 may be formed of a SiN film at athickness of 1 nm to 200 nm.

The passivation film 29 covers the underlayer film 28 and includes afirst passivation film 56 serving as an example of a first insulatinglayer of the present invention, a second passivation film 57 serving asan example of a second insulating layer of the present invention, and athird passivation film 58 serving as an example of a third insulatinglayer of the present invention.

The first passivation film 56, the second passivation film 57, and thethird passivation film 58 may be formed of a SiN film or SiO₂ film, butmay be preferably formed of a SiN film from the viewpoint of alleviatingthe concentration of an electric field. Furthermore, the passivationfilm 29 may have a thickness of 180 nm to 330 nm.

Individually, the first passivation film 56 may have a thickness of 30nm to 80 nm, the second passivation film 57 may have a thickness of 75nm to 125 nm, and the third passivation film 58 may have a thickness of75 nm to 125 nm.

The passivation film 29 and the underlayer film 28 are provided with agate opening 32 defined to reach the group-III nitride semiconductorlayered structure 2. At the bottom of the gate opening 32, the oxidefilm 27 is exposed. There is defined a gate insulating film 33 to coverthe bottom and the side of the gate opening 32. The gate insulating film33 is defined to cover the upper surface of the passivation film 29 (inthis preferred embodiment, the upper surface of the third passivationfilm 58 that is the uppermost layer) in addition to the inside of thegate opening 32.

For example, the gate insulating film 33 may be formed of at least onetype of material film selected from the group consisting of Si, Al, andHf as a component element. More specifically, the gate insulating film33 may be formed of at least one type of material film selected from thegroup consisting of SiN, SiO₂, SiON, Al₂O₃, AlN, AlON, HfSiO and HfO₂,etc. Of these, the Al₂O₃ film may be preferably selected. Furthermore,the gate insulating film 33 may have a thickness of 10 nm to 100 nm.

The gate electrode 4 further includes an overlap portion 34 which isembedded in the gate opening 32 and defined on the gate insulating film33 (the passivation film 29) on the circumferential edge of the gateopening 32. This overlap portion 34 opposes, in the thickness directionof the passivation film 29, the first source field plate 8 (in thispreferred embodiment, an end 61 of the first source field plate 8 towardthe gate electrode 4 side) with the second passivation film 57 and thethird passivation film 58 sandwiched between the overlap portion 34 andthe first source field plate 8.

Note that the gate electrode 4 may be filled in the gate opening 32 soas not to be protruded above the opening end of the gate opening 32. Forexample, the gate electrode 4 may be formed of a metal electrode such asMo or Ni, or of a semiconductor electrode such as doped polysilicon.Since the metal electrode is inferior to polysilicon in embeddability,the overlap portion 34, in particular, tends to be readily defined whenthe metal electrode is employed.

The first source field plate 8 and the floating plate 9 are disposed onthe side of the gate electrode 4 so as to partially define the side ofthe gate opening 32. More specifically, the first source field plate 8and the floating plate 9 are defined on the underlayer film 28, with thefirst passivation film 56 interposed between the first source fieldplate 8 or the floating plate 9 and the underlayer film 28, so as to beexposed near the lower end of the side of the gate opening 32. That is,the side of the gate opening 32 has the lower side that is defined bythe first source field plate 8 and the floating plate 9 and the upperside defined by part of the passivation film 29 (specifically, thesecond passivation film 57 and the third passivation film 58), thushaving a stacked layer interface of a conductive layer/an insulatinglayer.

Then, so as to contact the first source field plate 8 and the floatingplate 9, there is defined an insulating side wall 35 on the side of thegate opening 32. That is, the side wall 35 is disposed between the sideof the gate opening 32 and the gate insulating film 33. For example, theside wall 35 may be formed of at least one type of material filmselected from the group consisting of SiO₂, SiN, and SiON. Of thesefilms, the SiO₂ film may be preferably selected. Furthermore, the sidewall 35 may have a thickness of 10 nm to 200 nm.

The first source field plate 8 and the floating plate 9 are insulatedfrom the gate electrode 4 by means of the side wall 35 and the gateinsulating film 33. For example, the distance L_(GF1) between the gateelectrode 4 and the first source field plate 8 or the floating plate 9is 1 μm or less, preferably 50 nm to 200 nm. In this preferredembodiment, the distance L_(GF1) is defined by the total thickness ofthe gate insulating film 33 and the side wall 35. However, in anarrangement without the side wall 35, the distance L_(GF1) may be equalto the thickness of the gate insulating film 33. Furthermore, forexample, when the withstand voltage of the semiconductor device 1 is 200V or less, the length L_(FP1) of the first source field plate 8 may be0.3 μm to 0.6 μm. Furthermore, the first source field plate 8 and thefloating plate 9 may be formed of Mo film at a thickness of 10 nm to 200nm.

The second passivation film 57 is deposited on the first passivationfilm 56 so as to cover the first source field plate 8 and the floatingplate 9. This causes the first source field plate 8 and the floatingplate 9 to be sandwiched between the first passivation film 56 and thesecond passivation film 57 and embedded in the passivation film 29.

To penetrate the second passivation film 57, the first passivation film56, and the underlayer film 28, there are defined a source contact hole37 and a drain contact hole 38 that reach the group-III nitridesemiconductor layered structure 2. The source contact hole 37 and thedrain contact hole 38 are defined at a position away from the gateopening 32 in a sideward direction. The source contact hole 37 and thedrain contact hole 38 have the source electrode 5 and the drainelectrode 3 embedded, respectively. The source electrode 5 and the drainelectrode 3 are electrically connected to the group-III nitridesemiconductor layered structure 2 inside the source contact hole 37 andthe drain contact hole 38, respectively.

The source electrode 5 and the drain electrode 3 are each embedded inthe passivation film 29 and in ohmic contact with the group-III nitridesemiconductor layered structure 2. As illustrated in FIG. 1A and FIG.1B, the source electrode 5 and the drain electrode 3 have ends in thedepth direction of the space 15 that are disposed at the mutually sameposition. However, for example, the end of the drain electrode 3 may beselectively made to retreat in a direction from the nonactive region 11to the active region 10.

Furthermore, the source electrode 5 and the drain electrode 3 have topsthat are exposed from the surface of the second passivation film 57.Still furthermore, the source electrode 5 and the drain electrode 3 maybe formed of a stacked layer film of Ti/Al.

On the second passivation film 57, the second source field plate 59 isfurther defined. The second source field plate 59 is disposed in an areacloser to the drain electrode 3 side with respect to the first sourcefield plate 8. In this preferred embodiment, in the thickness directionof the passivation film 29, the second source field plate 59 has an end63 toward the gate electrode 4 side that opposes the first source fieldplate 8 (in this preferred embodiment, an end 62 of the first sourcefield plate 8 toward the drain electrode 3 side) with the secondpassivation film 57 sandwiched between the end 63 and the end 62.Furthermore, when the length L_(FP2) of the second source field plate 59(or the length from the end 62 of the first source field plate 8 asillustrated in FIG. 3 when overlapping the first source field plate 8)may be, e.g., 0.3 μm to 1.0 μm when the withstand voltage of thesemiconductor device 1 is 200 V or less. Furthermore, the second sourcefield plate 59 may be formed of the same material as that of the sourceelectrode 5 and the drain electrode 3 at a thickness of 50 nm to 400 nm.

The third passivation film 58 is deposited on the second passivationfilm 57 so as to cover the second source field plate 59, the drainelectrode 3, and the source electrode 5. This allows the second sourcefield plate 59, the drain electrode 3, and the source electrode 5 to besandwiched between the second passivation film 57 and the thirdpassivation film 58 and embedded in the passivation film 29.

Note that in this preferred embodiment, the passivation film 29 may havea contact hole 46 defined to reach the first source field plate 8 as anarrangement that appears on a cross-section at a position different fromthat in FIG. 3. The contact hole 46 may have the source contact 23 whichis embedded therein as illustrated in FIG. 1 and connected to the firstsource field plate 8.

Above the passivation film 29 (in this preferred embodiment, above thethird passivation film 58), the third source field plate 60 is formedwith the gate insulating film 33 interposed between the passivation film29 and the third source field plate 60. The third source field plate 60is disposed in an area closer to the drain electrode 3 side than thesecond source field plate 59 is. In this preferred embodiment, in thethickness direction of the passivation film 29, the third source fieldplate 60 has an end 65 toward the gate electrode 4 side that opposes thesecond source field plate 59 (in this preferred embodiment, an end 64 ofthe second source field plate 59 toward the drain electrode 3 side) withthe third passivation film 58 sandwiched between the end 65 and the end64. On the other hand, an end 66 of the third source field plate 60toward the drain electrode 3 side does not overlap the drain electrode 3but is disposed at a position spaced away from the drain electrode 3toward the gate electrode 4 side. Furthermore, the length L_(FP3) of thethird source field plate 60 (or the length from the end 64 of the secondsource field plate 59 as illustrated in FIG. 3 when overlapping thesecond source field plate 59) may be, for example, 0.3 μm to 1.0 μm whenthe withstand voltage of the semiconductor device 1 is 200 V or less.Furthermore, the third source field plate 60 may be formed of the samematerial as that of the gate electrode 4 at a thickness of 50 nm to 1000nm.

The interlayer insulating film 30 includes a first interlayer insulatingfilm 67 and a second interlayer insulating film 68. For example, thefirst interlayer insulating film 67 and the second interlayer insulatingfilm 68 may be formed of SiO₂ film. Furthermore, the first interlayerinsulating film 67 and the second interlayer insulating film 68 may havea thickness of 0.3 μm to 1.5 μm and 0.3 μm to 1.5 μm, respectively.

The first interlayer insulating film 67 is deposited on the passivationfilm 29 (or the surface of the gate insulating film 33 on thepassivation film 29 in this preferred embodiment) so as to cover thegate electrode 4 and the third source field plate 60. The firstinterlayer insulating film 67 is provided with a contact hole 69 definedto expose part of the source electrode 5. Note that although notillustrated, the first interlayer insulating film 67 may be providedwith a contact hole defined to expose part of the drain electrode 3 at aposition not shown.

On the first interlayer insulating film 67, a first source conductorwiring 70 is formed. The first source conductor wiring 70 is connectedto the source electrode 5 through the contact hole 69. Furthermore, forexample, the first source conductor wiring 70 may be formed of Al or Alalloy.

The second interlayer insulating film 68 is deposited on the firstinterlayer insulating film 67 so as to cover the first source conductorwiring 70. The second interlayer insulating film 68 is provided with acontact hole 71 defined to expose part of the first source conductorwiring 70.

On the second interlayer insulating film 68, a second source conductorwiring 72 is formed. The second source conductor wiring 72 is connectedto a first source conductor wiring 70 through the contact hole 71.Furthermore, for example, the second source conductor wiring 72 may beformed of Al or Al alloy.

Then, so as to cover the second source conductor wiring 72 (or theuppermost layer conductor wiring in this preferred embodiment), there isdefined a surface protective film 75. The surface protective film 75 hasan opening 74 to expose part of the second source conductor wiring 72 asa source pad 73. Furthermore, the surface protective film 75 may have astructure in which a first surface protective film 76 and a secondsurface protective film 77 are deposited sequentially from the secondsource conductor wiring 72 side. For example, the first surfaceprotective film 76 may be formed of SiO₂ film.

Furthermore, for example, the first surface protective film 76 may havea thickness of 0.2 μm to 2.0 μm. For example, the second surfaceprotective film 77 may be formed of polyimide film. Furthermore, forexample, the second surface protective film 77 may have a thickness of1.0 μm to 20 μm.

Now, referring to FIG. 4A to FIG. 4R, description will be made to amethod for manufacturing the semiconductor device 1.

FIG. 4A to FIG. 4R are views illustrating the process of manufacturingthe semiconductor device 1 in the order of steps.

To manufacture the semiconductor device 1, for example, on a substrate(not illustrated), a buffer layer (not illustrated) and the electrontraveling layer 24 are epitaxially grown in a sequential order, and asillustrated in FIG. 4A, the electron supply layer 25 is furtherepitaxially grown on the electron traveling layer 24. In this manner,the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure 2 is defined.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, so as to cover the entire surface ofthe electron supply layer 25, the underlayer film 28 is defined, e.g.,by a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4C, so as to cover the entire surface ofthe electron supply layer 25, the first passivation film 56 is defined,e.g., by the CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4D, the plate film 6 is defined, e.g., by amethod of sputtering or vapor deposition on the first passivation film56. Then, for example, the plate film 6 is selectively removed by dryetching. This allows the plate film 6 to be defined between theformation region of the source electrode 5 and the formation region ofthe drain electrode 3.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4E, so as to cover the entire surface ofthe first passivation film 56, the second passivation film 57 isdefined, e.g., by the CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4F, for example, the second passivationfilm 57, the first passivation film 56, and the underlayer film 28 areselectively removed by dry etching. This allows the source contact hole37 and the drain contact hole 38 to be defined at the same time.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4G, a conductive film is defined on thesecond passivation film 57, e.g., by a method of sputtering or vapordeposition, and the conductive film is selectively removed, e.g., by dryetching. This allows the second source field plate 59, the sourceelectrode 5, and the drain electrode 3 to be defined at the same time.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4H, so as to cover the entire surface ofthe second passivation film 57, the third passivation film 58 isdefined, e.g., by the CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4I, the passivation film 29 and the platefilm 6 are etched from an etching area including an area opposing theplate film 6, thereby defining the gate opening 32. This allows theplate film 6 to be separated into the first source field plate 8 towardthe drain side and the floating plate 9 toward the source side in aself-consistent fashion relative to the gate opening 32. Thus, at thisstage, the first source field plate 8 and the floating plate 9 are to beexposed to the side of the gate opening 32.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4J, so as to cover the entire surface ofthe passivation film 29, an insulating film 47 is defined, e.g., by theCVD (chemical vapor deposition) method. The process of defining theinsulating film 47 may include a step of defining a stacked layerstructure of insulating film by including a sub-step of defining a lowerlayer film 48 in contact with the passivation film 29 and a sub-step ofdefining an upper layer film 49 that defines the outermost surface ofthe insulating film 47. The layered structure may be formed of twolayers or three or more layers. For example, the lower layer film 48 maybe formed of SiO₂ film, and the upper layer film 49 may be formed ofAl₂O₃ film.

Defining both the passivation film 29 and the lower layer film 48 ofSiO₂ film enhances the adhesion of the insulating film 47 (the lowerlayer film 48) to the passivation film 29. Thus, in the steps thatfollow, it is possible to prevent the film of the side wall 35 frombeing peeled off.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4K, a portion of the insulating film 47 onthe passivation film 29 is selectively removed, e.g., by etch back so asto define the side wall 35 on the side of the gate opening 32. Employingthe A₂O₃ film as the upper layer film 49 may cause part of the Al₂O₃film, which is difficult to etch, to remain after etch back as aprotrusion 50 that is protruded upwardly from the gate opening 32.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4L, the underlayer film 28 on the bottom ofthe gate opening 32 is selectively removed, e.g., by dry etching. Thiscauses the electron supply layer 25 of the group-III nitridesemiconductor layered structure 2 to be exposed to the bottom of thegate opening 32. When the underlayer film 28 is of SiN film and theupper layer film 49 is of Al₂O₃ film, the etching selectivity of theupper layer film 49 may be reduced for an etchant for the underlayerfilm 28 (e.g., a CF₄ gas). Thus, when etching the underlayer film 28,the lower layer film 48 can be protected by the upper layer film 49 andthe side wall 35 (the lower layer film 48) is prevented from beingetched together with the underlayer film 28 and thereby reduced inthickness. Thus, even after the underlayer 28 is etched, it is possibleto maintain the side wall 35 that has a thickness near the design value.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4M, the surface of the side wall 35 isselectively removed, e.g., by dry etching. In this preferred embodiment,the upper layer film 49 that defines the outermost surface isselectively removed, thereby causing the lower layer film 48 to remainas the side wall 35. When the upper layer film 49 is of Al₂O₃ film, forexample, a BCl₃ gas may be employed as an etchant. Subsequently, theportion of the electron supply layer 25 exposed to the gate opening 32is selectively oxidized, thereby causing part of the electron supplylayer 25 to be turned to the oxide film 27.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4N, so as to cover the entire surface ofthe passivation film 29, the gate insulating film 33 is defined, e.g. ,by the CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4O, a conductive film is defined on thepassivation film 29 (the third passivation film 58), e.g., by a methodof sputtering or vapor deposition. The conductive film is embedded inthe gate opening 32 and also, defined on the surface of the passivationfilm 29. Then, for example, the conductive film is selectively removedby dry etching. This allows the gate electrode 4 and the third sourcefield plate 60 to be defined at the same time.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4P, so as to cover the entire surface ofthe passivation film 29, the first interlayer insulating film 67 isdefined, e.g., by the CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4Q, the first interlayer insulating film 67is selectively removed, e.g., by dry etching. In this manner, thecontact hole 69 is defined.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 4R, the first source conductor wiring 70 isdefined on the first interlayer insulating film 67, e.g., by a method ofsputtering or vapor deposition.

Subsequently, for example, the second interlayer insulating film 68, thesecond source conductor wiring 72, and the surface protective film 75are defined, thereby providing the semiconductor device 1.

In the foregoing, the semiconductor device 1 is provided with aheterojunction by defining the electron supply layer 25 on the electrontraveling layer 24 having a different Al composition, as describedabove. In this manner, the two-dimensional electron gas 26 is defined inthe electron traveling layer 24 in the vicinity of the interface betweenthe electron traveling layer 24 and the electron supply layer 25, thusdefining an HEMT that employs the two-dimensional electron gas 26 as achannel. The gate electrode 4 opposes the electron traveling layer 24with the stacked layer film of the oxide film 27 and the gate insulatingfilm 33 sandwiched between the gate electrode 4 and the electrontraveling layer 24, and there exists no electron supply layer 25immediately below the gate electrode 4. Thus, immediately below the gateelectrode 4, no two-dimensional electron gas 26 that is caused bypolarization due to lattice mismatch between the electron supply layer25 and the electron traveling layer 24 is defined. Therefore, when nobias is applied to the gate electrode 4 (at the time of zero bias), thechannel by the two-dimensional electron gas 26 is interruptedimmediately below the gate electrode 4. In this manner, a normally OFFtype HEMT is achieved. Applying an appropriate ON voltage (e.g., 5 V) tothe gate electrode 4 causes a channel to be induced in the electrontraveling layer 24 immediately below the gate electrode 4 and connectedwith the two-dimensional electron gas 26 on both sides of the gateelectrode 4. This provides conduction between the source and the drain.

For service purposes, for example, a predetermined voltage (e.g., 200 Vto 400 V) that makes the drain electrode 3 side positive is appliedbetween the source electrode 5 and the drain electrode 3. In this state,an OFF voltage (0 V) or ON voltage (5 V) is applied to the gateelectrode 4 with the source electrode 5 at a reference potential (0 V).

The interface between the oxide film 27 and the electron traveling layer24 continues to the interface between the electron supply layer 25 andthe electron traveling layer 24, and the state of the interface of theelectron traveling layer 24 immediately below the gate electrode 4 isequal to the state of the interface between the electron supply layer 25and the electron traveling layer 24. Thus, the electron mobility of theelectron traveling layer 24 immediately below the gate electrode 4 iskept at a high level. In this manner, this preferred embodiment providesa nitride semiconductor device having the normally OFF type HEMTstructure.

On the other hand, an electric field tends to concentrate on the drainside end of the first source field plate 8 between the gate and thedrain when the semiconductor device 1 is in an OFF state. However,according to the aforementioned arrangement, in an area closer to thedrain electrode 3 side than the first source field plate 8, the secondsource field plate 59 electrically connected to the source electrode 5is embedded in the passivation film 29. That is, the second source fieldplate 59 does not overlap an area above the gate electrode 4, but isdisposed at a position below the top of the gate electrode 4 on the sideof the gate electrode 4. This makes it possible to alleviate thestrength of electric field concentration between the gate and the drain.As a result, it is possible to provide the semiconductor device 1 thatis capable of improving the withstand voltage and the leakage property.

The aforementioned effects can be explained, for example, by thesimulation shown below. The structure that was set for the simulation isthat described in the aforementioned preferred embodiment in general.However, no consideration is given to the arrangement illustrated inFIG.

3 where the ends of the source field plates 8, 59, and 60 overlap eachother in the thickness direction of the passivation film 29.

(1) Improvement of Withstand Voltage Property

First, the breakdown voltages were compared between an arrangementhaving only the first source field plate 8 and an arrangement having thesecond source field plate 59 (both having no third source field plate60). As a result, the results shown in FIG. 5 were obtained.

As shown in FIG. 5, the results show that inserting the second sourcefield plate 59 significantly improves the withstand voltage property.

(2) Effects Resulting from Change in Film Type

Next, it was verified how the electric field strengths on the end of thegate electrode 4 toward the drain side, on the end 62 of the firstsource field plate 8 toward the drain side, and on the end 64 of thesecond source field plate 59 toward the drain side changed depending onthe type of the first passivation film 56. Note that the concentrationof the two-dimensional electron gas was 1×10¹³ cm⁻², the thickness ofthe first passivation film 56 was 40 nm, Vg=0 V, and Vd=100 V. Theresults are shown in Table 1. Table 1 shows that defining the firstpassivation film 56 of SiN weakened the electric field strengths on theend of the gate electrode 4 toward the drain side and the end 62 of thefirst source field plate 8 toward the drain side.

TABLE 1 First Second Type of first Gate end SFP end SFP end passivationfilm (MV/cm) (MV/cm) (MV/cm) SiO₂ 4.2 6.6 6.3 SiN 3.1 4.7 6.5

(3) Effects by Change in Thickness

Next, it was verified how the electric field strengths on the end of thegate electrode 4 toward the drain side, on the end 62 of the firstsource field plate 8 toward the drain side, and on the end 64 of thesecond source field plate 59 toward the drain side changed depending onthe thickness of the first passivation film 56. Note that theconcentration of the two-dimensional electron gas was 1×10¹³ cm⁻², thetype of the first passivation film 56 was SiN, Vg=0 V, and Vd=100 V. Theresults are shown in Table 2. Table 2 shows that the change in thethickness of the first passivation film 56 results in a change of theproportion of the electric field strengths on the end of the gateelectrode 4 toward the drain side and the end 62 of the first sourcefield plate 8 toward the drain side.

TABLE 2 Thickness of first First Second passivation film Gate end SFPend SFP end (nm) (MV/cm) (MV/cm) (MV/cm) 20 2.5 5.6 6.5 40 3 4.7 6.5 703.9 4.4 6.5

(4) Effects by Change in Concentration of Two-Dimensional Electron Gas

Next, it was verified how the electric field strengths on the end of thegate electrode 4 toward the drain side, on the end 62 of the firstsource field plate 8 toward the drain side, and on the end 64 of thesecond source field plate 59 toward the drain side changed depending onthe concentration of the two-dimensional electron gas 26. Note that thetype and the thickness of the first passivation film 56 were SiN and 40nm, respectively, Vg=0 V, and Vd=100 V. The results are shown in Table3. Table 3 shows that the lower the concentration of the two-dimensionalelectron gas 26, the weaker the electric field strength becomes.

TABLE 3 Concentration of two-dimensional First Second electron gas Gateend SFP end SFP end (cm⁻²) (MV/cm) (MV/cm) (MV/cm) 1.0 × 10¹³ 3.1 4.76.5 1.3 × 10¹³ 4.1 5.9 7.5 0.8 × 10¹³ 2.3 3.6 5.3 0.6 × 10¹³ 1.6 2.4 3.8

(5) Effects of Third Source Field Plate

Next, it was verified how the electric field strengths on the end of thegate electrode 4 toward the drain side, on the end 62 of the firstsource field plate 8 toward the drain side, on the end 64 of the secondsource field plate 59 toward the drain side, and on the end 66 of thethird source field plate 60 toward the drain changed depending on thepresence or absence of the third source field plate. Note that theconcentration of the two-dimensional electron gas was 1×10¹³ cm⁻², thetype and thickness of the first passivation film 56 were SiO₂ and 40 nm,respectively, Vg=0 V, and Vd=100 V. The results are shown in Table 4.Table 4 shows that the insertion of the third source field plate 60weakened the electric field strength on the end 64 of the second sourcefield plate 59 toward the drain side.

TABLE 4 First Second Third Gate end SFP end SFP end SFP end (MV/cm)(MV/cm) (MV/cm) (MV/cm) Without third SFP 4 6.7 6.2 — With third SFP 46.6 5.8 2.7

(6) Relationship Between the Third Source Field Plate and the Thicknessof the Insulating Film Immediately Thereunder

Next, it was verified how the electric field strengths on the end of thegate electrode 4 toward the drain side, on the end 62 of the firstsource field plate 8 toward the drain side, on the end 64 of the secondsource field plate 59 toward the drain side, and on the end 66 of thethird source field plate 60 toward the drain changed depending on thethickness of an insulating film (or SiO₂ in this simulation) immediatelybelow the third source field plate. Note that the concentration of thetwo-dimensional electron gas was 1×10¹³ cm⁻², the type and thickness ofthe first passivation film 56 were SiN and 40 nm, respectively, Vg=0 V,and Vd=100 V. The results are shown in Table 5. Table 5 shows that thethickness of the insulating film immediately below the third sourcefield plate 60 is preferably about 200 nm when the balance of theelectric field strength on each source field plate is taken intoaccount.

TABLE 5 Thickness of insulating film immediately First Second Thirdbelow third SFP Gate end SFP end SFP end SFP end (nm) (MV/cm) (MV/cm)(MV/cm) (MV/cm) 0 3 3 0.7 6.8 100 3.1 4.4 3.1 6.5 200 3.1 4.6 5 5.2 3003.1 4.7 5.5 4.4 700 3.1 4.6 6 2.7

In the foregoing, the preferred embodiment of the present invention wasexplained, the present invention can also be implemented in anothermode.

For example, a semiconductor device 80 illustrated in FIG. 6 is adaptedsuch that the third source field plate 60 is not defined on thepassivation film 29 but embedded in the passivation film 29. In thiscase, the passivation film 29 has a fourth passivation film 81 on thethird passivation film 58, while the third source field plate 60 may besandwiched between the third passivation film 58 and the fourthpassivation film 81.

Furthermore, for example, a semiconductor device 82 illustrated in FIG.7 has a recess 53 in place of the oxide film 27 as a structure toachieve the normally OFF type HEMT. For example, the recess 53 may bedefined to penetrate the electron supply layer 25 to reach the surfacelayer of the electron traveling layer 24 by selectively etching only thebottom of the gate opening 32. The recess 53 prevents the formation of aheterojunction between the electron traveling layer 24 and the electronsupply layer 25 immediately below the gate electrode 4. In this manner,when no gate bias is applied (at the time of zero bias), notwo-dimensional electron gas 26 is defined in an area immediately belowthe gate electrode 4. It is thus possible to achieve the normally OFFtype HEMT.

Furthermore, for example, like a semiconductor device 91 illustrated inFIG. 8, the first source field plate 8 and the floating plate 9 may havemutually generally the same width when viewed in cross section.Furthermore, on the surfaces of the drain electrode 3, the gateelectrode 4, the source electrode 5, and the second source field plate59, there may be defined step portions 92, 93, 94, 95 each having a sideof a curved surface. Furthermore, on the second source field plate 59 ofthe step portion 95, there may be defined a recess 96 that is recessedfurther than the step portion 95.

Furthermore, as described above, the gate opening 32 may have a constantwidth from the bottom to the opening end thereof, but may also have atapered shape that is increased in width from the bottom to the openingend when viewed in cross section.

Furthermore, for example, like a semiconductor device 101 illustrated inFIG. 9, the floating plate 9 may also have a greater width than thefirst source field plate 8 when viewed in cross section. Furthermore,the source electrode 5 may be defined to overlap the floating plate 9with the second passivation film 57 interposed between the sourceelectrode 5 and the floating plate 9 in the thickness direction of thepassivation film 29. That is, the source electrode 5 may also have aportion that is disposed above the floating plate 9 with the secondpassivation film 57 sandwiched between the portion and the floatingplate 9. On the other hand, the end 63 of the second source field plate59 may not have to oppose the first source field plate 8 in thethickness direction of the passivation film 29.

Furthermore, the semiconductor device 1 may not have to include the sidewall 35. In this case, it is possible to control the distance L_(GF)between the gate electrode 4 and the first source field plate 8 based ononly the thickness of the gate insulating film 33.

Furthermore, the semiconductor device 1 may not have to include thefloating plate 9 between the source and the gate. That is, between thesource and the gate and between the gate and the drain, the field plate(the first source field plate 8, the second source field plate 59, andthe third source field plate 60) may be selectively provided onlybetween the gate and the drain. For example, in an arrangement likethis, the etching area may be set as an area across the inside andoutside of the end of the plate film 6 at the time of etching asillustrated in FIG. 4J.

Other than specifically described above, a number of modifications ofthe design are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

1-19. (canceled)
 20. A semiconductor device comprising: a group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure that includes a heterojunction; an insulating layer which has a gate opening that reaches the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure and which is disposed on the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure; a gate insulating film that covers a bottom and a side of the gate opening; a gate electrode defined on the gate insulating film inside the gate opening; a source electrode and a drain electrode which are disposed to be spaced apart from the gate electrode such that the source electrode and the drain electrode sandwich the gate electrode and each of which are electrically connected to the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure; a first conductive layer embedded in the insulating layer between the gate electrode and the drain electrode and electrically connected to the source electrode; a first passivation film disposed below the first conductive layer and the insulating layer; and a wiring conductive path formed in contact with the source electrode, a horizontal portion of the wiring conductive path being in parallel with the first conductive layer, wherein an interface between the first passivation film and the insulating layer is below the top surface of the drain electrode.
 21. A semiconductor device comprising: a group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure that includes a heterojunction; an insulating layer which has a gate opening that reaches the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure and which is disposed on the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure; a gate insulating film that covers a bottom and a side of the gate opening; a gate electrode defined on the gate insulating film inside the gate opening; a source electrode and a drain electrode which are disposed to be spaced apart from the gate electrode such that the source electrode and the drain electrode sandwich the gate electrode and each of which are electrically connected to the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure; a first conductive layer embedded in the insulating layer between the gate electrode and the drain electrode and electrically connected to the source electrode; a first passivation film disposed below the first conductive layer and the insulating layer; and a wiring conductive path formed in contact with the source electrode, a horizontal portion of the wiring conductive path being in parallel with the first conductive layer, wherein the drain electrode straddles an interface between the first passivation film and the insulating layer.
 22. The semiconductor device according to claim 20, further comprising: a second conductive layer that is embedded in the insulating layer above the first conductive layer in a region closer to the drain electrode side than the first conductive layer and electrically connected to the source electrode; and a third conductive layer which is disposed above the insulating layer in a region closer to the drain electrode side than the second conductive layer and electrically connected to the source electrode.
 23. The semiconductor device according to claim 21, further comprising: a second conductive layer that is embedded in the insulating layer above the first conductive layer in a region closer to the drain electrode side than the first conductive layer and electrically connected to the source electrode; and a third conductive layer which is disposed above the insulating layer in a region closer to the drain electrode side than the second conductive layer and electrically connected to the source electrode, wherein the first conductive layer has a first end surface and a second surface, the first end surface of the first conductive layer being closer to the drain electrode side than the second end surface of the first conductive layer, the third conductive layer has a first end surface and a second surface, the first end surface of the third conductive layer being closer to the drain electrode side than the second end surface of the third conductive layer, and a distance between the first end surface of the third conductive layer and the drain electrode is shorter than a distance between the first end surface of the first conductive layer and the first end surface of the third conductive layer.
 24. The semiconductor device according to claim 20, further comprising: a second conductive layer embedded in the insulating layer above the first conductive layer in a region closer to the drain electrode side than the first conductive layer and electrically connected to the source electrode, the second conductive layer having a lower-most portion positioned lower than an upper-most portion of the gate electrode in a sectional view, wherein the second conductive layer has an end toward the gate electrode side that opposes the first conductive layer with part of the insulating layer sandwiched between the end and the first conductive layer in the thickness direction of the insulating layer.
 25. The semiconductor device according to claim 20, further comprising: a second conductive layer that is embedded in the insulating layer above the first conductive layer in a region closer to the drain electrode side than the first conductive layer and electrically connected to the source electrode; and a third conductive layer which is embedded in the insulating layer above the second conductive layer in a region closer to the drain electrode side than the second conductive layer and electrically connected to the source electrode.
 26. The semiconductor device according to claim 22, wherein the third conductive layer has an end toward the gate electrode side which opposes the second conductive layer with part of the insulating layer sandwiched between the end and the second conductive layer in the thickness direction of the insulating layer.
 27. The semiconductor device according to claim 22, wherein the insulating layer immediately below the third conductive layer has a thickness of 150 nm to 250 nm.
 28. The semiconductor device according to claim 20, wherein the gate electrode includes an overlap portion which is defined above the insulating layer such that the overlap portion opposes the end of the first conductive layer toward the gate electrode side with part of the insulating layer sandwiched between the overlap portion and the end of the first conductive layer in the thickness direction of the insulating layer.
 29. The semiconductor device according to claim 20, further comprising: a second conductive layer that is embedded in the insulating layer above the first conductive layer in a region closer to the drain electrode side than the first conductive layer and electrically connected to the source electrode, wherein the insulating layer includes a first insulating layer supporting the first conductive layer, a second insulating layer covering the first conductive layer and supporting the second conductive layer, and a third insulating layer covering the second conductive layer; and the first insulating layer is formed of a SiN layer.
 30. The semiconductor device according to claim 29, wherein the SiN layer has a thickness of 30 nm to 80 nm.
 31. The semiconductor device according to claim 20, wherein a two-dimensional electron gas defined in the heterojunction of the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure has a concentration of 0.5×10¹³ cm⁻² to 1.0×10¹³ cm⁻².
 32. The semiconductor device according to claim 20, further comprising an insulating side wall which is disposed between the gate insulating film and the side of the gate opening.
 33. The semiconductor device according to claim 32, wherein the side wall includes at least one type of material selected from a group consisting of SiO₂, SiN, and SiON.
 34. The semiconductor device according to claim 20, wherein a distance L_(GF1) between the gate electrode and the first conductive layer is 1 μm or less.
 35. The semiconductor device according to claim 20, wherein the gate insulating film includes at least one type of material selected from a group consisting of Si, Al, and Hf as a component element.
 36. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the gate electrode includes a metal electrode.
 37. The semiconductor device according to claim 20, further comprising: a second conductive layer that is embedded in the insulating layer above the first conductive layer in a region closer to the drain electrode side than the first conductive layer and electrically connected to the source electrode, wherein the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure includes an active region which includes an element structure arranged by sandwiching the gate electrode between the source electrode and the drain electrode and a nonactive region outside the active region; the source electrode, the first conductive layer, and the second conductive layer each include an extension to the nonactive region; and the extension of the source electrode is connected to the extensions of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.
 38. The semiconductor device according to claim 20, wherein the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure includes a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer that defines the heterojunction; and the second semiconductor layer includes an oxide film selectively defined by oxidizing the second semiconductor layer on the bottom of the gate opening.
 39. The semiconductor device according to claim 20, wherein the group-III nitride semiconductor layered structure includes a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer that define the heterojunction; and the second semiconductor layer is selectively etched only on the bottom of the gate opening. 